“Jason Van Dyke was found guilty of second-degree murder,” I said with relief to my friend last Friday afternoon. After nervously monitoring the news for days, I felt a calm rush over me as justice was served for the brutal murder of Chicago teen, Laquan McDonald. To my utter surprise, my friend looked at me and asked, “Who is that?”

Each Saturday, a group of University students packs into a room in Procter House of the Episcopal Church at Princeton. These students, however, are not affiliated with the Episcopal Church; they are part of an independent community called Workshop No.1.

In the annual protest against solitary confinement, students stood in an outlined box smaller than their dorm rooms, persisting day and night to demonstrate a reality that, for many, does not end when the sun comes up.

If you ask the average American to describe the average college campus in the United States, they would probably reply by using adjectives such as “vibrant,” “energetic,” and most importantly, “activist.” The idea of being politically vocal on and off campus has been a predominant theme characterizing college students as a whole.

On Saturday, No. 18 Princeton (6–0 overall, 3–0 Ivy) faced an unfamiliar challenge this season: a close game. Princeton entered the game with an undefeated record and 43.4-point average margin of victory but needed all 60 minutes to put away Harvard (3–3, 1–2) in a 29–21 victory in Cambridge, Mass.

For many Princeton students, one of the few bright spots of the midterms slog is planning themed Princetoween costumes, events, and decor with friends. While Princeton’s premature Halloween festivities bring together a student body emerging from many days of library hibernation, an offensive theme choice can do just the opposite. Often the University emails a cultural sensitivity reminder at this time of year, although such reminders sometimes skirt around the words “cultural appropriation.”

With the impending doom of midterms looming over campus, students pile into Firestone and the third floor of Frist, a Small World coffee in one hand and a half-hearted determination to write their papers in the other. At the end of the seemingly never-ending tunnel of psets, however, is one of the best nights of the school year — Princetoween.

Using the term “honor killings” betrays a form of Islamophobia said Berkeley School of Law professor Leti Volpp ’86 in the latest iteration of the weekly Asian American Studies lecture series. In Thursday’s lecture, Volpp examined the Trump administration’s travel ban on Muslim-majority countries and discussed inherent Islamophobia concealed in the surrounding rhetoric.

“Legacy? What is a legacy?” laments Alexander Hamilton in the self-titled musical. “It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.” Though profound, this revelation doesn’t convey all sides of the story — while you may not personally experience the effects of the marks you leave behind, countless others will. The pursuit of leaving an impression on future generations is probably what motivated, and still motivates, so many people to donate to the University, in hopes that a building, or even just a plaque, will preserve their name. But there’s a glaring issue: The people whose names are currently enshrined in brick and mortar do not represent the diversity of today’s student body. Rather, we are living in the legacy of white men.

No one likes to be uncomfortable. We strive to achieve maximum comfort, whether by rotating through a multitude of Princeton sweatshirts or by choosing classes purely based on the number of hours of sleep they allow for each night. Don’t get me wrong; I enjoy being comfortable, and I believe feeling comfortable on campus is a key part of enjoying the college experience. But it is important to remember that a college campus is also a place where we should be excited to have our perspectives challenged. We shouldn’t be comfortable with only seeking out safe spaces and limiting our exposure to new ideas.

Both the men’s and women’s soccer teams will face Harvard this Saturday on Sherrerd Field at the Class of 1952 Stadium. The men’s team will kick off the back-to-back games at 3 p.m., while the women’s team will conclude the day, kicking off at 6 p.m.

On Friday, Oct. 12, at 7:30 p.m., Latin American flags adorned the walls of the Center for Jewish Life. Information sheets detailing the different countries and their Jewish communities adorned the dining hall tables, and about 300 people filled the CJL to attend the first Latinx Shabbat.